An Empirical Study on the Work-Life-Balance in German IT Consulting: With a Focus on Female Consultants

Abstract

The age pyramid in Germany and gender aspects have recently led many industries to call for an increase in the proportion of women among their employees. However, IT consultancies still find it difficult to adequately exploit highly qualified womens’ potential when recruiting and bonding them. Our thesis is that deficits in the perceived work-life balance of the consultants are essential for this. On the basis of an empirical study, consisting of an online survey and subsequent telephone interviews with experts, the status of the topic of work-life balance in IT consulting firms is examined. This article focuses on the situation of female IT consultants and shows that the consulting industry can improve the work-life balance of female IT consultants through additional efforts and thus increase their attractiveness also for women starting their careers.